Civil engineering specialist MPB Structures has clinched the contract to build the substructure foundations.

This work follows the piling operation currently being delivered by Keltbray to install 2,000 concrete piles to support the foundations for the station.

A team of around 140 people from MPB will now start on the complex substructure for the station.

Work includes removing 65,000m3 of earth, using around 17,000 cu m of concrete to install 417 pile caps, and over 4,700 tonnes of reinforcing steel to make the stations ground beams.

The team will also be waterproofing the new concrete structures, building the drainage network within and around the station, and also constructing the attenuation tanks to store rainwater that will be recycled for use within the station when it’s operational.

Patrick Boyle, owner of MPB Structures, said: “Our business has a long and rich history of successfully delivering major projects for key clients across Birmingham and the wider West Midlands.

“In addition to local employment, one of our main aspirations is to create work placements and workless jobs starts for local people”

Further contracts will be awarded over the coming months for the station superstructure.

These will involve building the station’s floor slab along with lift shafts, stairs and the columns to support the viaducts that will bring trains into the stations. The viaducts themselves will be constructed from pre-cast concrete beams manufactured off-site to save time and space on site.

Following on from this, a further contract will be awarded for the station’s façade, walls and glazing.

The design of the station will be finalised over the next year, focusing on the details of features including the roof and the internal fit-out of the station.